Are you really you?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is ramping up efforts to thwart identity theft. As part of those efforts, IRS is reminding taxpayers who receive requests from the IRS to verify their identities using the Identity Verification Service website at idverify.irs.gov.
I know: this sounds like a scam. You’re right to be suspicious. I just reported on a bogus IRS verification email scam making the rounds.
But this is legit. Pay attention, though. You’re not going to be asked to verify your identification via email. Ditto for phone calls. The IRS will not initiate contact with you to verify your identification via email or phone.
If IRS has a concern about a suspicious tax return with a real taxpayer’s name and/or Social Security number, they will send you a letter. It’s a specific letter: Letter 5071C (check the upper corner of the letter for the number). If you receive Letter 5071C, you should follow the directions and access idverify.irs.gov. If you do not receive a Letter 5071C, you do not need to access the site.
On the IRS Identity Verification Service website, you’ll be asked questions that only you can answer. This is similar to the system that some states are using to confirm refunds.
Once you verify your identity, you can confirm whether you filed the tax return IRS finds to be suspicious. If you did not file the return, IRS will help you with the next steps. If you did file the return, your return will be processed (it will take approximately six weeks) and you’ll be issued a refund, if one is due.
If you’re nervous about using the website, you can also follow the instructions in the letter to call a toll-free number. Expect to wait a bit if you’re calling the toll-free number.
When responding to the letter, you should have copies of your prior year tax return and your current year tax return, and any supporting documents, like your forms W-2 and 1099.
Opportunities for fraud are plentiful these days so be careful. Use caution when replying to correspondences. Don’t respond to email purporting to be from IRS and don’t offer up personal details on the phone. If you’re visiting an IRS web site, always look for a URL ending with .gov – not .com, .org, .net, or anything else.
I had no idea that these identity verification letters were real. I had heard about some of them on the news and from friends and had considered consulting a tax services just in case I got one. From what you say, just having the past two years W-2 forms doesn’t sound too bad, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. Thanks for alerting me to this info!